Nick Foligno fined for hit on Patrick Dwyer
Ottawa Senators’ forward Nick Foligno has been fined by the National Hockey League for a dangerous hit on Patrick Dwyer of the Carolina Hurricanes in their game on Thursday 14 October.
Foligno caught Dwyer with a blind side hit to the shoulder while coming through the neutral zone. Foligno put his shoulder into the back of Dwyer, who was spun around on the play. There was no penalty
called, as the referees deemed it a legal hit. Nevertheless, the NHL reviewed the play after the game and decided it was a fineable offence.
After the game Carolina head coach Paul Maurice was angry about the no-call on the hit.
“They felt that the hit was shoulder to shoulder. Unless Patty’s [Dwyer] head it growing out of his armpit, I’m not sure how that is possible. [The referees] just missed it," he said at the time.
The fine to Foligno is another on a long list of NHL inconsistencies. Had Dwyer been injured on the play it is very likely that Foligno would have received a suspension.
Former Edmonton Oiler head coach and player Craig MacTavish spoke about the hit.
“I think it’s just cut and dry. It’s blindside and it’s to the head. If you have to ask the question whether it was dirty or whether it wasn’t dirty, you know the answer.”
The NHL made a rule banning blindside hits to the head at the end of the 2009-10 season and have campaigned to try and get it out of the game. However, their lack of consistency when handing out suspensions
still leaves a great deal to the imagination.
There is no doubt that the NHL has to do something about these types of hits, as there are currently 12 NHL players unavailable due to concussion and if Dwyer hadn't gotten lucky it would be 13.
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